Dibny and Gingold: The Demon's Invitation
by Lovingh3art
Summary: A great personal offense has been directed at Ra's Al Ghul, and to discover who would hurt him, he requests help from…the Elongated Man! Why would he want the help of a detective that's not Batman? Whatever the reason, the ductile detective is determined to solve this once-in-a-life mystery.
1. In Need of a Detective

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elongated Man, Sue Dibny, and any other DC characters or locations that appear in this. Any original ideas that appear are my creation. **

* * *

Talia Al Ghul, in her years on the Earth, had learned many a lesson from her father Ra's Al Ghul. Never dull your blade. Always be suspicious, even of your allies. And when disaster is on the horizon, prepare for it well. The passing of time hardened these beliefs into her mind each day.

Sadly, those would not explain why the Lazarus Pit was empty; _empty_ of the life-extending chemicals it was supposed to possess.

Talia stood on the edge of it, her father on her left and Abu on her right. She'd only woken up an hour ago from sleep, but the situation was already dire for her prospects if she couldn't find an answer soon. It was her security force, after all, that had fallen in the crime's wake.

"What happened?" Ra's asked, cutting right to the point with a voice as sharp as the blade on his hip.

"We don't know, father, "Talia responded as best she could. "Last night, the pit was full of its' contents. This morning, the disciples were found dead and the contents of the pit… gone."

"How?!" Ra's demanded, suddenly with a much graver voice. "How could our ninjas, trained by the demon's head myself, be defeated? Furthermore, where are the chemicals I need?!"

"…I don't know, father," Talia said directly to him, making her sense of failure as evident as she could in her voice. "The perpetrator…we do not have leads at the moment."

Moments, maybe as monumental as they seemed in Talia's head, passed with her father standing by the pit's edge. Then his figured relaxed into a confused one and he turned back to them. "If our resources cannot identify those who would besmirch me…we will need the help of the detective."

"Er…."

"What?" Ra's demanded. His patience appeared to be growing thin.

"He's…in space, father," Talia responded. "With the rest of the Justice League. They've been gone…for a week."

"Unfortunate," muttered Ra's. He swiftly turned around and began to walk towards the torch-lit staircase. "Contact our associates in Opal City. We will need the next best thing to the Detective, it seems."

Talia stood confused. "Which is?"

"Come now," Ra's said to his daughter with a wry grin. "I believe you've heard of this man. He is rather quite flexible when it comes to solving crimes…"

* * *

"And that, people, is how I figured out who stole all the proceed money!"

Sue Dibny blushed as she watched her husband, explaining to a crowd of eager onlookers how he apprehended a crew of robbers disguised as mail people. Forecasting a rapid-fire series of questions, she leaned against the building column relatedly. All she and Ralph had wanted was an uneventful day together in this destination of Chicago. But she supposed that's what happened when a celebrity superhero – or detective (She could never get one clear definition) – and his wife strolled about. People and crazy scenarios would come looking for them.

Ralph gave a glance at Sue and chuckled, doing his best to answer questions efficiently. Once he decided enough was enough, he stretched over the crowd's height. "Thank you, everybody, but my wife and I are going to take some R&R. Until next time!" He extended himself like spaghetti until he was out of the crowd's reach, and before more questions could be asked, he had made a small getaway with Sue.

"Quite the excitement, huh?" Sue surmised.

"You can say that again," Ralph exclaimed. "All those robbers with guns, and they never once thought that the bullets would bounce out of me! Thank god me and my costume don't like guns much."

Sue nodded as they turned a corner. "Is it me or are they getting dumber and smarter at the same time these days?"

"Hmmmmm…. So! Anywhere else in Chicago you'd like to go today? I hear the pizza's got quite a reputation," Ralph said abruptly.

Sue noticed this and propped a brow. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing's wrong," said Ralph, sweat caking down his neck.

"Looks like it," Sue insisted.

"Sue, I'm being serious," Ralph replied with a more put-together face. "Everything's fine."

"Coming from my husband who can't spend a minute without stretching excitedly? Yeah, I'll bet."

Ralph came to a stop and huffed, slightly stretching an inch in nervousness. "…I've just…I've felt a little less excited, recently. That's all."

"What's made you feel this way?" asked Sue, concerned.

Ralph gulped, then eyed a bench that the two could sit on. As they did, she took his hands and he felt an obligation to answer. "…It's not much of a problem, or…maybe, I don't know…But ever since we've been here, I came to realize that there hasn't been a mystery in months that's stumped me. Mirror Master's Hall, that diamond the Riddler stole, even Grodd's missing banana! And we both just reached being in our mid-thirties! And it feels like, maybe life is telling me that this thing I do isn't going to last." If humans could melt into themselves, Ralph seemed to be doing it with pitched emotion and a contorted performance on his part.

Sue sighed and reached a hand to her husband's face softly. "Oh, sweetie. I didn't know you felt this way. It sounds like so much, but...things will probably get better."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, most of the mysteries you solve tend to come after big gaps in mysteries appearing. So by that logic, of all the stuff we've faced, some big conundrum should be. Don't worry, Ralph. As long as there's weird stuff in the world, there'll be mysteries to solve.

The light of Ralph's face returned in an instant, and he went to hug his wife tenderly. Sue herself didn't mind in the slightest. "Thanks, Sue. Where would I be without you?"

She smiled back. "A circus rubber man comes to mind."

"Hey!"

She elbowed him humorously and grabbed his hand. "Come on! Let's get some lunch!" They darted towards the street and luckily blew their fingers enough that a cab slowed in front of them promptly. Hand on the door, Ralph followed Sue in and shut it behind him.

"To Fantino's pizzeria! And thanks!" Ralph exclaimed as they settled in while the cab took off.

"Ralph and Sue Dibny?" The driver asked.

"…Yeah," Sue answered, slowly widening her eyes awkwardly. "How'd you know our-"

It took effect in an instant, but out of the blue, huge puffs of a dark green mist filled the car. Every inch was touched by its' range and both Ralph and Sue began to violently seize, banging against their doors. A few seconds was enough to knock Sue out and she collapsed lightly against the door.

"Sue…." Ralph valiantly wheezed, yet even the stretchable sleuth was felled by the knockout gas and promptly collapsed. The passenger door then opened and a woman in dark green, gas mask on her face, inspected the scene.

"Unconscious?" She asked directly.

"Yes, mistress."

"Good. See that they are brought straight to the Demon's Head – as they were."

* * *

"Ralph? Ralph!"

Eyesight came back to Ralph's mind, although it took him quite a while before the shapes and colors coalesced to how he normally perceived the world. They were in some large underground cavern, with large green lights on wall torches lights illuminating everything. Sue was across from him, tied to a chair and looking rather angry. "Sue…where are we?"

"I dunno, but I'm pretty sure we got kidnapped by ninjas!" she exclaimed. "I think we've got a chance to escape if I can just get out of this!" She struggled valiantly with the thick black binds keeping her hands behind her. They looked really tough.

"Don't worry, I'll-" Ralph's struggle to get out of his restraints ceased once he realized that his entire body has been tied and stretched in over itself, so much that he couldn't get his arms free. "Heh."

"Sorry. I forgot to mention. They tied your body up a bunch. I'll help you, so long as I can get-"

"There's no need for that, Miss Dibny." The couple stopped and looked to their right. An imposing man, tall but shrewd and draped in an exotic green, stood before them. The green torch in his arm illuminated an aged face with calculated wrinkles and facial hairs that looked too neat to be genuine. And somehow, older eyes above them. It then took four seconds before Sue registered the numerous robed ninjas standing mechanically behind him, their forms peeping out of the dark thanks to his light. "In the home of the Demon's Head, it's better if guests don't leave so rudely."

For one of the few times in his life, Ralph's blood went cold. "The Demon's Head? As in, Ra's Al Ghul? Y-you're Ra's Al Ghul?!"

"Yes."

Ralph swallowed. "What do you want?"

The leader of the assassins leveled a glare before exclaiming a smooth laugh. "Do not worry, detective. I have no intentions of harming you or your other. Rather, as odd as it seems, I need your help."

"Help?"

As Sue raised her eyebrows, the criminal sautéed out of the way and the Dibny's were given a rather shocking sight. The famed Lazarus Pit, the thing that periodically rejuvenated this man, was drained entirely.

Not a single drop left.

And then Ralph's nose started nervously twitching.

"The Lazarus Pit has been stolen from me…and I need your help to solve it."

* * *

**A/N: And that's the start of the journey! There will be many twists and turns in this story, and a lot of love for Ralph and Sue. Cannot wait to do the next chapter, and stay tuned! And if you liked the story, please feel free to favorite, follow, or leave a review!**

**Thanks, and have a great Sunday!**


	2. An Empty Pit

**A/N: Hello there! I'm super thankful for the response to this story and what's going on in it. Any comments and followings are greatly appreciated!**

**GoldObsidian: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it. I'll try to do my best to honor Ralph and Sue's history here, but don't be surprised if humorous Ralph moments don't pop up now and then.**

**Back to the writing!**

* * *

"Huh."

The words left Sue Dibny's mouth without consideration, and then she was rewarded with intense stares from the Demon's Head and his daughter. "I-I mean, wow. That's…sorry, I just didn't' expect this. An empty giant pit." An awkward silence followed, and she exchanged a look with her husband. "Um…what was in there?"

"The ancient chemicals that keep me from aging," Ra's answered shrilly.

"Huh."

"Indeed."

Talia stepped forward, hand on her hilt. "Father, shall I kill her? Her insolence radiates in waves."

Not looking to Sue's stark white face, Ra's shook his head. "She may be a sophisticated woman, but she is no threat, daughter. Merely a pawn."

"Hey! I'm a lot more than a pawn," Sue exclaimed loudly. "Just let me out and I can show you!"

"I have no doubt of that, Mrs. Dibny," Ra's explained, "but my business is with your husband, so your patience will need to wait a bit more." He swerved and snapped his fingers. Somehow, the binds of Ralph's body collapsed into being looser, and he used that immediately to right himself to normal.

"Thank god!" said Ralph. "If I'd been left like that, I might as well be that Olsen kid when he took a bad dose of Gingold."

"Who?" The Demon's head asked, puzzled.

"Sorry. Reference. You were saying?"

"Let us talk alone, Mr. Dibny. Come," Ra's replied, beckoning to a further hall with less green torches and some natural light. Giving a reassuring look back to his wife, Ralph followed Ra's through the rocky hall until they were in a crisp balcony that was somehow worked into the area. All the natural light that filtered through and the architectural fibers and structures confounded him. How had this been accomplished?

Then he felt his nose wiggle and put the thoughts to the back of his mind. Those were mysteries for another day.

"Where are we?" Ralph asked.

"Nanda Parbat. You might find it a good vacation spot this time of year."

Ralph leaned against the wall, arms folded in rubbery fashion. He wasn't sold. "All seriousness aside, why me?"

Ra's took in a deep breath "…I seek a challenge."

A sharp and unexpected wind blew into the balcony at that moment. From another view, it appeared to make Ralph's form bend out of regular shape – at least momentarily. "What?"

"You, Mr. Dibny. You are a sleuth I have never met in the flesh or the mind. The Detective matches my wit with a darker one. His offspring have sparred my schemes at every turn. That loon Hawkman returns every so often, babbling about our past squabbles. And the Question? The less he rambles about my plots, the better. But you follow small crimes and odd conspiracies others label poppycock. You have an eye for the odd, and that is something I wish to admire – to respect. That is all I ask."

"Hmm." Ralph looked to the vast environment beyond the balcony – the snow and the ice, the sheer vastness of the trees and nature that stretched for miles. He honestly wanted to refuse the offer because of who Ra's was. None of his previous clients had been the leaders of mass terror organizations, and there was probably more Batman could let him in on. However, there was something about this mystery that just…intrigued him. Beyond the potentially impossible task of escaping with his and Sue's lives, Ra's _was_ offering him that mystery he'd needed. Something so confusing and impossible it would be the perfect thing to reveal.

And to think, he was figuring this out _instead_ of Batman! Batman!

"If you aid me in this endeavor, I will be in your debt," Ra's added.

Of course, Ralph's gut had to intervene. "And what happens if I say no?"

Something in Ra's posture shifted. At first, Ralph thought it was his legs or upper body, but then came to realize the source of disruption was something so ireful it made the man glance at his finger. The rugged texture of his index finger has shockingly turned into a warped and dried one, where age reigned.

"There will be no consequences, Mr. Dibny," Ra's said, "but understand that I require the pit to survive. _Survive_. I am at wit's end. So if you refuse, I may soon be no better than dust."

That was something chilling to consider. Ralph looked to himself, Ra's, and then the balcony on more time. The temporary sights swirled in his mind, diluting what he might be thinking before he came to a stop and just waited. "Alright. I'll find your Lazarus Pit's contents."

"Very appreciated…detective," Ra's swiftly reposed with his hand out. Ralph shook it and looked back to the cavern.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"Don't worry," Ra's interrupted smoothly. "This will be all taken care of, once you close your eyes." The scent of a certain gas entered Ralph's nose, and he mentally swore.

"Oh, man! Not again…." Then he collapsed into a cavern of black thoughts, the Demon's Head standing idly over him.

* * *

When the couple woke up, they found themselves back in their hotel room and with all their bags. Ralph put a hand to his groggy forehead while Sue folded off the bed and looked around, coming to her senses.

"That…was something," Sue exclaimed as she bent down and grabbed her wallet, which had fallen onto the carpet. "What did Ra's say to you?"

"Huh?" Ralph said while remembering. "Oh! Yeah. I said I'd go find his Lazarus pit."

"What?" Sue shrieked. "Ralph, he kidnapped us! He's a terrorist!"

"And he's also a guy who needs my help! You said it yourself, I need a mystery and this is the best one I've got." Ralph moved closer to Sue, wrapping his arms slowly around her reassuringly. "Honey, I want to do this. Can you understand that?"

"…Alright," Sue replied with a gradual smirk. "But you aren't doing any of this alone, sweetie. Got it?"

"Of course." He lovingly pecked her cheek.

"Hey, what's that?" Sue pointed, her finger aimed at the wall. Ralph saw it too and elongated his arm some feet before snatching it over to the pair of them. It was a small slip of paper with an address and a message on it, though some water or substance had dampened it.

_My sources and my iron mind suspect this one man. You will find him at this address:_

_KRAHD INDUSTRIES, LOCATED IN MIDWAY CITY._

_OWNED BY ONE DAMIEN DHARK._

_FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE SENT. _

"Damien Dhark?!" Ralph said shrilly.

"You know him?" Sue asked.

"Not personally, but I know of him," Ralph explained while elongating around the room, rummaging for something he needed. "He's a former friend of the League and Ra's who went and formed his terrorist faction – H.I.V.E. He's also an occultist, and I last heard Green Arrow was giving him hell."

Sue smirked. "Guess I'll need to buy plane tickets, huh?"

Ralph smiled, stretched his neck over, and pecked her on the lips. "Thanks, honey."

As Sue went to go call the airlines, Ralph stretched to the far side of the room and admired his costumed self in the mirror. For once, he looked happier than had been in a great while. And much happier than Batman would be when he found out about this (he hoped).

They were going to solve this mystery!

* * *

**A/N: That's what Ralph thinks. But make of it what you will. Next chapter, there'll be some cool cameos and a certain baddie from Arrow making his debut. Watching out for the DARHK shadows, huh?**


	3. A Dhark Lead

**A/N: I just saw the debut of Sue Dibny in the Flash TV show. While slightly different than what I expected, the chemistry is on point and I'm happy Sue is finally joining her to-be-husband in another form of media. On a similar note, I'm more inspired than ever to do my best here and make it work like a charm!**

**GoldObsidian: Thanks for your praise! I'm doing my hardest to keep Ralph and Sue at least a little in-character here. And it's okay if you don't know Dhark, this chapter will provide more details. **

**Now back to the mystery!**

* * *

If it weren't for the Dearbon fortune that Sue was lucky enough to have inherited, her and Ralph may have never been able to go on their mystery-hunting trips. It was the reason they could see so much and find the truth in odd places. And thankfully she'd been smart enough to invest in interest capital that renewed every month; their Opal City flat and Ralph's nylon clothing weren't cheap.

The funny thing, in this case, was that the two had never taken a visit to Midway City. Never, not once. Chalking it up to an abundance of superhero work, they'd heard tales from Ralph's teammate and sometimes-friend Hawkman about the city's grand metropolitan design. Sue was already making a list of things to check off on their presumably short time there, and she hoped some downtime would be problem-free.

Their taxi dropped them off in front of a large rectangular building that went for a couple of miles left and right, surrounded by a moderate parking lot. "KHRAD INDUSTRIES" was placed on the front of it all. The front entrance was very ornate, with aged green bricks and some sleek design that looked modern. To Sue, however, it was less impressive than every building she'd seen – especially the Hall of Justice.

"Khrad Industries, huh?" Ralph announced from the entrance to the parking lot. Out of curiosity, he stretched up into the air until he was around thirty feet higher than he normally would be and gazed down at it. Feeling confidant with the view, he retracted back down. "Looks like a normal company from the outside."

"Doesn't hurt to check them out, then," Sue mentioned. "Lex Luthor owns a multi-billion-dollar corporation and he constantly skimps jail because people think his building looks nice."

Ralph gave her a teasing grin. "I never said I believed in the facade. Just an observation, sweetie."

"Sure." She looked momentarily to the blinding sun and turned to her husband. "Uh, what's with the costume? You packed a full week of normal clothes."

"That's where you come in, honey," Ralph said. "Think you can fit me in your purse?"

"…Might I ask why?" Sue pondered to him.

"To get in. Unnoticed?"

Sighing, Sue opened her turquoise purse to her husband. "This better not be a regular thing, Y'know. The last thing I need is a mess of lipstick for the dryer to sort out."

"Heh," Ralph said nervously. "You got it!" He looked to the bag, then breathed and slowed his body's movement. Sue might've fallen backward when her husband folded in on himself to the point that he resembled a small rolled-up towel on the ground.

After picking him up and placing him in her purse, Sue eyed him a little. "How long can you hold that form?

"…A little while…" he wheezed from inside the bag. "Just keep… your purse open…somewhat, and…I'll slip…out."

Sue hummed in agreement before walking up the steps and through the entrance. Somewhat like she'd pictured, the entrance lobby was a rectangular one with green seats and a green set of walls and carpeting. A thin pencil of a woman in a white suit sat at a desk, typing monotonously when Sue walked up to her.

"Might I help you?" The secretary asked without looking up.

"Hi…uh, my name's… Glinda… and I was interested…in, uh," Sue stuttered while trying to come up with an excuse. "…the company."

The secretary replied, eyes still glued to her typing. "What about it?"

"…Just…whatever you guys do?!"

As the "conversation" between the two women went on, the small purple and white sliver that was Ralph slipped out of Sue's purse onto the floor. Making sure he was safe from prying eyes, he quickly sneaked near the wall and elongated up to the air duct in an instant, depositing himself there in no time.

Once inside the ventilation duct, Ralph unfolded his body so he was back to normal size – and still in the vent. Memorizing the schematics he had downloaded of the building, Ralph made a couple of turns. It was a tight squeeze, but he had stretched in smaller spaces than this and was more than comfortable doing it if nobody saw him. _He hoped. _A turn left and the smell of machinery and something foreign entered Ralph's nostrils. Funny, given that Khrad Industries was only supposed to be making renewable automobiles. The idea that they were up to no good was a given, but Ralph's curiosity spiked nonetheless. When his eyes spotted the slits of an exit, he immediately began elongating himself through the duct and slightly peeked out.

The chamber he was staring into was a massive room with a large roof. He must've wound up in the back of the factory. Below him, there were legions of conveyor belts and at least a few areas where car parts were being assembled by teams of competent workers. From his vantage point, it all looked like clockwork. Not even that illegal in fa-

"We need more time, Mr. Dhark."

Ralph twisted his head and froze. Two figures approached his vicinity from many feet below. One looked to be a worrisome foreman holding a clipboard and looking tenderly to the other man. Said person had a black business suit on, peachy skin, and the boldest white hair you could picture out of a crowd. He might've looked otherwise healthy, but Ralph let his neck lower some more feet to see visible, black veins all over his skin. Then a lightbulb went off in his head.

The one and only Damien Dhark.

"I understand, Renaldo, but we've already used up most of our resources," Dhark said charismatically. "This shipment is going to need to be here by tomorrow morning."

"But sir-"

Dhark held up his finger, causing the foreman to stop cold in his tracks. "Is that understood?"

"Yessir." All courage in the lesser man seemed to have vanished and instantly be replaced by fear.

"Great!" In the span of a second, Dhark's entire energy changed into a much more positive and convincing one. "Now, how about we get some lunch? I guess you could say all this planning has worked up an appetite!" They kept walking through and right under Ralph's hiding spot (much to his relief). Tempted as he was, Ralph needed to find a safer spot where he could get better information. Yeah, that was the right idea…

But as he attempted to retract himself, he felt an unnatural pull through his body. One second it was like being chocked, and the next he was sent flying towards the pavement. Ralph's body splattered and squashed into the floor, bent out of shape by the mysterious power.

"Mr. Dibny, or should I call you the Elongated Man? What a surprise!" As he expected, the voice of Dhark permeated everything Ralph couldn't see.

"That was…you?" Ralph wheezed while sorting his body out. Dhark seemed to be alone somehow, and with a glance, almost every other worker had disappeared. "I heard you could move objects with your mind. Guess that was my introduction."

"And I heard you prefer to snoop around like a good little Scooby-Doo," Dhark chuckled. "Tell me, what exactly can I do for you?"

Ralph took a second to choose what he'd say carefully. "Just wanted a peek of your factory. That's all."

"That's all?" Dhark repeated menacingly. "You may be a moderate detective, Mr. Dibny, but your lies need work. I can hear your heart, and it's a few beats off."

_Hear my…heart? _The list of stuff Ralph didn't know about this guy seemed to be growing even longer. From the way Dhark had already drawn him out, escape or excuses would probably not work. Asking him directly about Ra's would probably exacerbate the situation, and his powers alone might not be enough for someone with telekinesis. He needed information.

Which left the only other option he could think of: scuffling.

"Are you going to answer me?" Dhark demanded with a hardening tone.

"Of course," Ralph said, bending in on himself and straightening up. "What I wanted to say was…this!" Hoping that Dhark's ego was more distracting than his senses, the Elongated Man hooked a fist and shot it out until it smacked Dhark right in the face. He fumbled backward with his hands clutching his nose, giving Ralph the time to turn and stretch away. However, he'd only gotten a few feet before a manufacturing instrument flew past his head and into the wall – violently.

"Hewww brewk mhhyyy knooseee!" Dhark screamed gutturally. His left hand clutched his bleeding nostrils while his right focused itself in the air. To Ralph's horror, unfished automobile parts rose up behind him. "Uhhhh wheeessh uu hidddnt dooo that."

He might be inclined to agree with the latter part, as the furious objects flew towards his body, and It took considerable effort to dodge them.

* * *

From the lobby, Sue tried her best to think of a conniving way to keep her cover going. The beady-eyed secretary glanced her way but was seemingly more in love with whatever she was typing up than letting "Glinda" get a tour of the factory. Or maybe she had already checked out her alibi and was only delaying the inevitable villain enforcement. _Trust yourself_, Sue told herself.

CRAAAASSSHHH!

"What was that?" exclaimed Sue as she swerved and looked to the entrance of the warehouse section.

"Nothing to worry about. Mr. Dhark's portably working his nerves out again," the secretary robotically breathed.

_Not convinced. _Sue got up in a sweat and pushed through the doors with no, the sudden cries of the secretary be damned. She meandered through a few different aisles before noticing acres of equipment on the ground looking thrown and bruised beyond normal. She would've gone deeper past the mess had she not heard some ecstatic yelling.

"Give it up, Dhark!" Sue paused and realized her husband had to be saying that. Bolting around the corner, she immediately recognized Ralph restraining a man she assumed to be Dhark. Just as she got closer, though, her husband's coiled body seized and looked to violently stretch off the man before pooling on the ground. As if by magic.

"How?!" Ralph asked surprised as the villain's pressure lifted his chewed-and-stretched form into the air. "That pressure should've been enough to knock you unconscious at best!"

"Please, Mr. Dibny," said Dhark with a fiendish smirk, "you are in no way my equal."

"Ahem."

Dhark looked back and kept his smile when he realized Sue stood not five feet from him. "Ah. The famed Sue Dibny. You and your husband wouldn't be a couple without traveling together, now would you?"

Sue shortened her sleeves and took closer steps. "Dhark, let him go. Now."

Starkly laughing, Dhark quickened his telekinetic rip on the stretchable sleuth. "What are you going to do? Throw money?"

"I don't know," Sue responded, "but I'm a pretty pissed heiress, and I happen to have Superman on speed dial. Your call."

Seemingly weighing his options, Dhark sighed and loosened his hand, sending Ralph crashing slightly into the ground. "Fine. This was beginning to get boring." Once Sue had run over to her spouse and helped him collect himself, Dhark spoke up again. "I'm sorry, but for what reason did you think you could take me here? There's a perfectly reasonable time to fight me, and it's not during office hours."

The Elongated Man cleared his throat. "Ra's Al Ghul's lost his Lazarus pit, and he suspected you might be involved."

"…Give me a second….just, please…" Dhark wheezed, his face getting red. "HA! Hahaha! My god, that is hilarious!"

"It's no joke," Ralph iterated amid Dhark's laughing fit. "He hired me to find it."

"Wow! You?" Dhark got a couple more laughs out and collapsed to his knees. "That…is...ha! Priceless…"

"So… you didn't steal it?" asked Ralph, looking more confused.

"Why ever would I want his stupid Lazarus pit?" Dhark explained as he straightened up. "I'm already aging like wine thanks to my supernatural connections. To my, Ra's pit is worthless."

"So you say," Sue added.

Dhark glared at her. "Yes, as I say."

"If that's the case, you wouldn't mind us taking a search fo your property?" Ralph stretched an arm out to gesture to the entire manufacturing scene.

"I don't think you're hearing me, Mr. Dibny," Dhark iterated. "_I don't have it_. It ever occur to your _brilliant_ detective mind that maybe Ra's sent you here by mistake? Besides, you've already committed a few questionable actions, which as we all know, wouldn't be so good for your 'heroic' reputation. And there's the matter of the mess our fight caused, which'll just be more work for my good-natured employees."

"…"

"Now, given that we've come to an understanding about my business and this…mess my former compatriot's fallen into, how about I give you a cab ride back to your hotel? It's the _least_ I can do, literally.

"I-" Ralph attempted, but was stopped by Sue pulling part of his rubbery arm her way.

"Take the win, honey."

* * *

Once night had fallen, the Dibny's were escorted honorably out of the building and given a free lift by one of Dhark's chauffeurs. The car swerved by a small forest on the outskirts of the lot on its way out. Unbeknownst to the exiting vehicle, a small figure peered at them through the darkness. He lay on the roof of a log, dressed from head-to-toe in riveting blue and white spandex. He reached for the comms in his suit and clicked it. "Boss, this is Dwarfstar. Over."

"_Report_?" The communications device in his pocket breathed a gravelly voice.

"Elongated Man and his wife are getting closer. Dunno if you want me to do something about it. Because I can, y' know."

"…_Not now. Your…bloody antics are appreciated, but I have plans in place. For the moment, continue to observe them. Preferably as close as you can, and report to the League of Shadows when you next can."_

A sickening idea filtered through the small assassin's mind. "Ya got it, boss." He stashed the communicator into his pocket and made a surprising leap across the logs in front of him, disappearing into the hue of the night with a blue POP!

* * *

**A/N: Dwarfstar! Damien Dhark! Stuff is getting complicated. Clues as to who stole Ra's Lazarus Pit are going to pop up next chapter, and expect a bit more detective work – and powers - on Ralph's part. Until then!**


End file.
